An armrest device of said type is known from the laid-open specification DE 10 2014 210 134 A1. The known armrest device has an armrest part which is pivotable about a pivot axle between an armrest position and a non-use position. The pivot axle is divided into a base axle section, which is arranged so as to be stationary relative to a base part, and an armrest axle section, which is connected rotationally conjointly to the armrest part. A blocking device in the form of a wrap brake connects the two axle sections in a blocked state of the wrap spring. If the blocking device is released, then a pivoting of the armrest axle section relative to the base axle section is permitted. The armrest part can thus be pivoted relative to the base part and fixed in a desired pivoting position with blocking of the wrap brake. In this way, an adjustment of an inclination of the armrest part is possible. Furthermore, a pivoting between the armrest position and the non-use position is possible when the wrap brake is blocked.
It is an object of the invention to provide an armrest arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction which permits a simple inclination adjustment.
Said object is achieved in that the armrest body has a support element which is adjustable in linearly movable fashion transversely with respect to the pivot axle on the armrest body and which is supported at an end side on the positionally fixed carrier structure, and in that the actuating element and the blocking device are operatively connected to the linearly movable support element such that the support element can, by means of the actuating element, be released for a linear adjustment and, by means of the blocking device, be locked in a set support position. Thus, a continuously variable inclination adjustment of the armrest body relative to the carrier structure is possible. The inclination adjustment device is integrated in the armrest body, such that, the region of the pivot axle can be of space-saving design.
In a refinement of the invention, the support element is held in positively locking fashion in an adjustment direction by means of a guide fixed to the armrest body. For this purpose, the support element may have a thread or a toothing. The armrest body may have a complementary thread or a complementary toothing which can be placed in engagement with the thread or the toothing of the support element in order to block the latter thread or toothing. The support element may for example be a toothed rack or a threaded spindle. On the armrest body, there may be arranged a rotating toothed wheel or a static spindle nut. An engagement of a rotationally fixedly arranged toothed element into the toothed rack may also be provided for the purposes of blocking the support element. Here, a length section of the support element between a positionally fixed support point of the support element on the carrier structure and the guide defines the inclination setting of the armrest body. If the length section is set to be relatively short, then the armrest body assumes a position with a relatively small angle between the armrest body and seat surface. If the length section of the support element between a support point of the carrier structure and the guide is set to be relatively long, then the armrest body is situated in a position with a relatively large angle between the seat surface and the armrest body.
In a further refinement of the invention, the support element is loaded in at least one adjustment direction by a drive. Said drive may be electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic or mechanical. Thus, when the blocking element is released, the support element can be displaced in at least one direction by the drive and, when the blocking element is blocked, the support element can be fixed in said position. The drive can displace the armrest body selectively in two directions or only in one direction. It is thus possible for the armrest body to be pivoted about a positionally fixed pivot axle by means of the drive in order to increase or decrease an angle between a seat surface and the armrest body. Alternatively, the drive may be provided only for increasing the angle between seat surface and armrest body when the blocking element is released. Provision may furthermore be made for an inherent weight of a user's arm resting on the armrest body to be utilized to decrease the angle between armrest body and seat surface when the blocking element is released.
In a further refinement of the invention, the drive is designed as a mechanical spring drive. The spring drive is advantageously preloaded during a user-actuated adjustment movement of the armrest body. A spring energy of the preloaded spring can be utilized to displace the armrest body when the blocking element is released, or to assist a displacement of the armrest body. The mechanical spring drive may in this case have a spiral spring or a torsion spring or helical spring, and act on the support element or on the armrest body. If the support element has a toothed rack, it is advantageously possible for a compression spring, in particular in the form of a helical spring, to act as a drive on the toothed rack in order to displace the latter. If the support element has a threaded spindle, it is advantageously possible for a torsion spring to act as a drive on the threaded spindle. If the support element interacts with a toothed wheel, a spiral spring may be provided as a drive which drives the toothed wheel.
In a further refinement of the invention, the support element is held by means of a movement thread in the guide fixed to the armrest body. The movement thread does not exhibit a self-locking action, such that a displacement of the support element is possible during the adjustment movement of the armrest body. During a linear displacement of, or an introduction of force into, the armrest body, it is thus possible, when the blocking element is released, for the support element to be set in rotation.
In a further refinement of the invention, the spring drive has a torsion spring which is arranged coaxially with respect to the movement thread and which is supported at one side on the support element and at the other side on the guide. The torsion spring advantageously acts as a spring drive which is placed under stress during an adjustment movement of the armrest body in a first direction and is relieved of stress in a second direction. Thus, the armrest body is displaced by a user in a first direction and the torsion spring is placed under stress during a displacement. The armrest body can be reset in a second direction by the prestressed torsion spring. The torsion spring interacts with the support element which is linearly movable by means of a screw thread movement, by virtue of the torsion spring subjecting the support element to a torque about its longitudinal axis, which torque leads to a screwing movement of the support element relative to the guide in the armrest body and accordingly to the linear movement.
In a further refinement of the invention, the blocking device has a wrap brake oriented coaxially with respect to the support element. The wrap brake blocks a rotation and/or a linear displacement of the support element. The support element can perform a linear movement and a linear and/or a rotational movement. It is possible in particular for a threaded rod or an exclusively linearly displaceable toothed rack to be provided as a support element. It is also possible for a unipartite or multi-part support element to be provided which, in regions, performs a rotation and a linear movement.
In a further refinement of the invention, the actuating element is coupled by means of a remote transmission device to the blocking device. The remote transmission may be mechanical, electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic. The actuating element is advantageously arranged in a region in which it can be easily gripped and operated by a user, advantageously on an underside of the armrest body in a region averted from a connecting region of the armrest body and a backrest. Said region preferably corresponds to a position of a hand of an operating person when the arm of the operating person is resting on the armrest body. The actuating element is accordingly positioned in an ergonomically expedient manner. The remote transmission device advantageously produces the connection between the actuating element and the blocking device, wherein the blocking device therefore does not need to be arranged in a region in which it can be gripped by a user, but rather can be arranged in a space-saving manner in terms of construction. The remote actuating device may have a pulling and/or pushing means, in particular a cable pull arrangement or a transmission linkage.
Further features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the claims and from the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the drawings. Individual features of the described or illustrated embodiments may in this case be combined with one another in any desired manner without departing from the scope of the invention.